​​What Kind of Fish is Mahi-Mahi?

If you’re looking to add some variety to your seafood diet, look no further than the mahi-mahi fish. So, what kind of fish is mahi-mahi?

Not only are mahi-mahi recipes delicious, but they’re also packed with plenty of healthy nutrients, including protein, iron, and B vitamins! Read on to learn more about this interesting fish!

What Type of Fish is Mahi Mahi?

Mahi mahi (also known as dolphin fish) is a type of large marine fish that’s highly valued for its white, lean meat. Mahi mahi was originally found in waters off of Hawaii, but today it can be found in tropical areas around South America and Africa.

Mahi mahi is a silvery-white fish with firm flesh. The species is technically called Coryphaena Hippurus; its name comes from its dolphin-like profile. Mahi mahi live in tropical waters, swimming close to shore and often near other reef fish. They can get up to eight feet long, but most are between 40 and 60 inches long at maturity; they weigh an average of 15 pounds.

Their name comes from Polynesian mythology. Mahi-mahi means strong or mighty godfish in Hawaiian. Hawaiians also call them dolphin fish because they look like dolphins swimming through the water with their dorsal fins outstretched.

Despite its name, you don’t have to hunt dolphins to get some mahi mahi. The fish is a great option for those who are interested in getting healthy omega-3 fatty acids from their diet! If you’re looking for high-quality meat packed with protein and vitamins, then mahi mahi might be right up your alley.

Mahi Mahi vs Dorado: What Are the Differences?

What kind of fish is mahi-mahi and how does it differ from the dorado? Although they are sometimes mistaken for one another, mahi mahi and dorado are two very different fish species.

Mahi mahi (Coryphaena Hippurus) is a member of a family of tropical gamefish called jacks and is often referred to as dolphin fish. It’s distinguished by its long blue dorsal fin, which runs almost its entire length, and yellow patches that surround its eyes.

Dorado (Coryphaena Equiselis), on the other hand, is also a type of jack but belongs to a subfamily known as trevallies. The biggest difference between these two fish is their coloration; dorado has golden stripes along its body instead of spots around its eyes.

Mahi Mahi Appearance

What kind of fish is mahi-mahi and how does it look? Some mahi-mahis are born with bluish irises and a rare few with brown eyes.

As they mature, their eyes turn more common shades of gold or green. It’s believed that blue-eyed fish have better vision than most other mahi-mahis because of their enhanced ability to see light in blue and violet.

The majority of mahi-mahis have yellow or gold-colored eyes, which can cause some confusion when mixed schools migrate along coastlines near towns where fishermen use bright lights to attract them at night. Many mistake these yellow fish for other types of yellow finned fish such as tuna, bonito, and amberjack.

Did you know they can change colors on their skin? Yup, it’s true. They have dermal chromatophores that allow them to change colors from deep blue to black or white in an instant. And they change colors for various reasons, for instance, to communicate, scare off predators and attract prey.

They Are Great Swimmers

Mahi-mahi are some of nature’s best swimmers. Their average cruising speed is 15 miles per hour, but they can reach up to 25 mph if they feel threatened or excited.

In addition to their strength in water, mahi-mahi have a thick layer of fat under their skin that helps keep them warm when it’s cold out and keep them cool in water that’s too hot. Mahi mahi is an amazing swimmer. It’s no wonder they’re also known as dolphin fish.

How Do They Taste?

One of the most popular ways to eat mahi-mahi is simple: grilled with just a squeeze of lime. And it’s easy to understand why when you taste it. It has a mild, sweet flavor and flaky white meat that’s delicious – not fishy at all. It’s also important to know how to fillet mahi mahi – which is just as easy as filleting any other large fish.

The mahi mahi were almost killed off by overfishing, but now they’re making a comeback. For many years, mahi-mahi was one of America’s most popular seafood dishes.

As a result of increased demand for these fish during World War II (and ever since), mahi has been overfished to an extent that federal authorities once feared that it would become extinct.

Thankfully, stricter fishing regulations have helped bring back stocks of mahi-mahi. Today, it’s considered Least Concerned on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

How to Catch Mahi Mahi

Now that we’ve answered the question, what kind of fish is mahi-mahi, let’s look at a few ways of catching them.

If you’re looking to catch mahi mahi, you have a few different ways to reel them in. The fastest way is with a baited hook, which will allow you to cast into an area and start fishing immediately. Catching mahi mahi is simple with the right fishing gear.

If you’re looking for smaller, more delicate fish or want your catch to be larger (or both), try using a cast net. You may need some help from another person when using one of these nets; they are larger than some typical nets and can be heavy, making it difficult for one person to throw it without assistance.

They also aren’t made of lightweight material like mesh, but rather something that’s heavier and will sink faster than other materials would.

Finally, if you’re not going to keep your catch and just want to observe what kind of species live in an area, consider purchasing a pair of scuba goggles.

Mahi mahi swim very close to shore so even if you don’t know how to swim well yet, you should still be able to see them as long as there isn’t too much seaweed or debris on the ocean floor. Once you get down low enough, all you’ll need to do is look around.

Conclusion

If you were still asking what kind of fish is mahi-mahi, we hope you now have an answer to your question.

You also now know how to fish for mahi mahi. To sum up, we would like to say that mahi-mahi is a versatile fish that can be prepared in different ways.

It’s one of the most interesting fish species found in many parts of the Atlantic, Pacific, and even Indian oceans. The fish is a delicacy worth trying.